HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans will end their preseason slate against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday with many of their starters expected to sit.

After coming out of the first three preseason games without suffering a major injury during a game, head coach Bill O'Brien would like to keep it that way. Quarterback Brock Osweiler, running back Lamar Miller, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and other starters will not see the field on Thursday, but it will be an important game for the players who are fighting for the last few roster spots.

Here are five things to watch in the game.

Tom Savage's progress: Savage will start Thursday's game for the Texans, and O'Brien said he has seen the quarterback's improvement this offseason. Savage missed all of last season after he was put on injured reserve in September with a shoulder injury. O'Brien said he would like to see Savage "take care of the football, manage the game properly, move the sticks on third down, execute in the red area, get us into the right plays." O'Brien also said he wants to see Savage communicate well with the huddle. Savage is Osweiler's backup "right now," according to O'Brien, and he could wrap up the spot with a strong showing against the Cowboys.

Last roster spots: O'Brien called Thursday's game a "significant" one for the players who are battling for the final available spots on the 53-man roster. "I think there’s a number of guys that will be playing in this Dallas game that really are fighting for a spot on our team," O'Brien said. "There’s some really tough decisions that are going to have to be made over the next five, six days. This game will play a part of it. It’s not the only part, but it will be part of the decision process.” The roster must be cut down to 53 players by Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

Return game: Rookie running back Tyler Ervin had his best game as a professional last week, including a 58-yard kickoff return in the second quarter. That play was one of the best the Texans have had returning the ball this preseason, and O'Brien would like to see them continue to build on that success against the Cowboys. O'Brien has said how important a player's ability to perform on special teams is to earning a spot on the team, so keep an eye on those players on the bubble.

Punter Shane Lechler: The 40-year-old Lechler has had a very good preseason, including hitting a 75-yard punt in the exhibition opener against the 49ers. This week, O'Brien praised Lechler, saying he has a lot of respect for his punter. "He cares about the team and he wants the team to win," O'Brien said. "He’s somebody that really cares about winning and he knows that he’s closer to the end of his career than he is to the beginning and he wants to win. So, I think part of what you see is some of the things that we talked about and he’s executing it pretty well.” With the new NFL rule that moved touchbacks to the 25-yard-line, the coaching staff has been working with Lechler on directional kicking and trying to kick the ball into the corner, outside of the numbers, so the returners have to take it out. Thursday will be Lechler's final tune-up game before the regular season starts.

Competition at running back: When general manager Smith and O'Brien cut down the Texans' roster to 75 on Tuesday, they did not cut any of the running backs competing for spots. O'Brien and Smith will use the game against the Cowboys to take one last look and make final decisions on whom they will keep at the position. Miller will be the starter, and Ervin will make the team. The Texans also have Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes, Akeem Hunt and Kenny Hilliard on the roster, but they will likely keep only two of those players.